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Assessment Do's & Don'ts / Assessing / Language of Assessment

Assessment Do's & Don'ts

1. Assessment Do's

• Praise effort not success. A child should not be able to tell if he/she got an item correct or
  incorrect.
• If a child is uncertain about the instructions or what to do, it is acceptable to read the
  instructions again. Read the instructions exactly as written.
• Know how to give the assessments. Since the Rapid Letter Naming and the Rapid Vocabulary
  Naming are timed, you need to be comfortable with a fast pace.
• In the Phonological Awareness Assessment, be careful about what is scored as correct and what is
  incorrect. (Sometimes "no" is correct, and sometimes "yes" is correct.) Refer to bottom button
  for correct response.
• To regain a child's focus, you can say things like, "Listen carefully."
• Remain calm and steady for children who are emotional.
• At the end of the assessment, make notes

• Don't give hints to the child.
• Don't try to get additional information.
• Don't change the instructions.
• While it is impossible to always assess children on their best days, we certainly want to make sure
  they are having at least an average day.
• Don't assess when a child is sick, distraught or overly oppositional.

Assessing Children

• Tap “Home” until "All" appears in the top right corner.
• Tap on your handheld screen and the program opens.
• Check that the date and time are accurate. If they are not, tap them to set the correct date and time. (see tab 2 -Setting the Digitizer/Setting The Date & Time/Notes)
• Tap or to begin.
• Select your class and time of year.
• Tap a name to select a child to assess.
• Tap to begin assessment.
• Read materials and procedures.
• Tap to continue.

Assessing Environment

• Have the child sitting beside you in a quieter area of the classroom.
• Place the C-PALLS Book between you for the Rapid Letter and Rapid
  Vocabulary Naming Assessments. The child should be able to easily
  see the letters and pictures in the book.
• You will not need the C-PALLS book for the Phonological Awareness
  Screener.
• You can do assessments at any time when the other children are
  engaged, such as during centers, snacks/mealtime, quiet time.
  

Lanuage of Assessment

• Letters, Vocabulary, and Phonological Awareness under , and Book and Print under
  are all available in English and Spanish.
• Follow the guidance of your supervisor or director in choosing a language to assess each child.
• Language of CIRCLE™ assessments should be the same as language of instruction provided in the
  classroom.
• Only accept correct answers in the language you have chosen so you know what you are measuring. To choose English or Spanish, tap .
• Tap or at the top of the screen to change the language of the assessments between
  English and Spanish.

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